ABSTRACT
Almost 2000 years ago, high on the Ethiopian Plateau in north-eastern Africa, there was a thriving city that was the capital of a powerful state. Both city and state were called Aksum and the people of the area were governed by a king, whose subjects included a wealthy elite, priests, scribes, merchants, numerous craftsmen, soldiers, farmers, labourers, and probably slaves. This was a society with a number of urban centres, its own form of writing, coinage in gold, silver and bronze, stone buildings of a distinctive design, unique public monuments, a sophisticated material culture, extensive trading interests both overseas and within Africa, and an important role in international politics. It was also one of the first states in the world to adopt the Christian religion. For perhaps 500 years it flourished and then seems to have died away. So how did this happen: what brought about its remarkable success and what caused its disappearance?
